Malt 4 opinions....?

RSMarcowmb
RSMarcowmb Posts: 83
edited May 2007 in MTB general
I purchased a Malt 4 at the beginning of this year as I read that this bike was a good all round performer for UK trails etc.
Riding the likes of Llandegla etc I can't really fault it apart from the Deore rear mech slapping the frame.

What is starting to go through my mind is if this bike is really what I wanted in the first place. I mean, I have done the Marin at B - Y - C and Coedy Y Brenin trails where a hardtail feels the rocks a lot more than a Full suspension bike.

I just wanted peoples opinions on this to see if this is going beyond the bikes capabilities or is it just that I need to gain more experience in technical riding to get the full potential out of the bike.

Apart from this, I really do like riding the Malt 4 on fast flowing trails..!

Cheers

Marco


http://www.flickr.com/photos/8064592@N02/507665113/
Malt 4

Comments

  • Kestrel_daos
    Kestrel_daos Posts: 932
    I'm relatively inexperienced on the whole bike scene. But imo anything pretty much is rideable on a hardtail - and the Malt 4 is certainly an excellent hardtail.

    I would personally say technical skills could be improved, but by all means a full susser will make harder trails more enjoyable.

    <font color="blue">Giant XTC SX '06</font id="blue">
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I handled 3 days of CYB of my œ370 Spesh HR Sport, so your Malt 4 will be well capable of anything

    <center><font color="red">Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all.</font id="red"></center>
    <center>My Spesh</center>
  • Kestrel_daos
    Kestrel_daos Posts: 932
    Aren't hardtails more fun anyway!?

    <font color="blue">Giant XTC SX '06</font id="blue">
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    So they say, IMHO you can better hone/improve/developed your skills on a HT.

    <center><font color="red">Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all.</font id="red"></center>
    <center>My Spesh</center>
  • RSMarcowmb
    RSMarcowmb Posts: 83
    I know what your saying, it's just this thought started to come into my mind.

    Like I say, I really like riding the Malt 4 but some of the speeds people come flying past you when riding a FS just makes me think. I hit a rock half the size and can really feel it on the back.



    http://www.flickr.com/photos/8064592@N02/507665113/
    Malt 4
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I was in a similar position to yourself, and my Malt 4 is still my first choice bike when going out for a ride. I too have been suffering when it gets rockier and steeper, and I always felt that having to nurse it through boulder fields was a bit of a waste. I solved it by buying a second hand full sus (Orange Patriot) which opens up a whole load of new routes and options. No, it's not the same and as precise as a hardtail, but it doesn mean you can fly down things at pace, which I can't on the Merlin.

    I suppose at the end of the day, it depends on what you want. If you can afford a second toy, then see if you can get yourself a full sus bike. If not, enjoy the fact you have a brilliant hard tail there and make the most of it, and the fact it weighs about half as much as the Orange ;-)

    The straighter the line, the faster I go!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I think I know what your getting at with Coed y Brenin. Been a few times on my old hardtail and you do take a pounding, the trails often don't seem to flow that well either. Earlier this year I went back on my new FS bike and the trails started to make a lot more sense and flowed better, I had a lot of fun. I suspect they've been designed with full suspension in mind.

    Most other trails I've ridden in North Wales there's not nearly such a performance difference, I find.
  • donnie murdo
    donnie murdo Posts: 986
    I love my Merlin Malt4

    But I suppose what it can take depends entirely on the set up of your particular Malt4.

    Tyre choice and width

    Suspension fork

    Gear set up

    Components selected

    etc..

    It really is a great frame and a great all round UK hardtail bike.

    To quote a phrase said by Tom Nuttall in the fantastic HBO T.V. show "Deadwood"

    "My bicycle(Merlin Malt4)masters boardwalk and quagmire with aplomb. Those that doubt me suck c0%k by choice"

    Merlin should use that in their magazine ad campaign.



    Fae Alba
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/8024706@N02/
  • RSMarcowmb
    RSMarcowmb Posts: 83
    Cheers for your comments guy's..!

    Like I said, the malt 4 is a fantastic bike to ride on trails that are fowing and can cope with most tech stuff, but when the gong gets too rocky, this is for the FS boy's..?

    I think if I get to know her a little more and Improve my ability I should up there with most people.

    I just love the tightness a hardtail gives you on fast flowing singletrack.

    I also think I need to understand my REBAS more to get the most out of them. Fom what I can see there are quite a few tuning points available abd TBH I don't fully understand how to tune them..!

    Marco

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/8064592@N02/507665113/
    Malt 4
  • juankerrwmb
    juankerrwmb Posts: 611
    I know how you feel - I went round Llandegla yesterday on my Malt 4 and got beaten up quite badly by the rocks. Nowt wrong with the bike though, but perhaps I'll get a full-suzzer in a year or two.
  • guilliano
    guilliano Posts: 5,495
    On a hardtail you just need to use your legs more as suspension than you would on a full bouncer. Landing rear wheel first with your knees slightly bent to absorb the blow helps, as does lowering your saddle for rocky sections. It's just a different technique, not as fast as rolling over stuff on a FS, but more fun and takes more technique, building skill and confidence as you go

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/guilliano/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/guilliano/

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